With tens of thousands of American troops hunkered down on yearlong tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military is arguably not the most family-friendly employer these days. Now add this to the list that the Pentagon is closing its child care center.

Citing intelligence that the Pentagon is the second most likely target for a terrorist attack in the capital region after the White House, military officials want to shut the day care building next to the Pentagon by the fall. Officials said that they hoped to build a new center nearby but that it would not be finished until 2007.

Dozens of Pentagon parents are expressing outrage at the decision, which was announced on July 7, arguing that their day care center faced no greater risk of attack than those operated for Senate and House employees on Capitol Hill or centers at other federal agencies like the State Department and Central Intelligence Agency.

The world is changing for the better because of American leadership. Three years ago, Afghanistan was the home base of al Qaeda. Now, the terror camps are closed, democracy is rising, and the American people are safer. Three years ago, Pakistan was a safe transit point for terrorists on missions of murder. Now, we’re working with the Pakistani government to find those killers in remote regions of that country, and America is safer. Three years ago, Saudi — in Saudi Arabia, terrorists were — were not challenged by that government. Today we’re working with the Saudi government, and the Saudi government is running down al Qaeda leadership, and America is safer. (Applause.) Three years ago, three years ago, Libya was spending millions of dollars to acquire weapons of mass destruction. Now, thousands of Libyan chemical munitions have been destroyed. Libya has given up its nuclear processing equipment, and America is safer. (Applause.)